The role of community
agencies in preventing male family
violence and treating women & children
Presentation by Amanda Goldstein
May 2013
Presenter’s Details
‘I would like to show my respect and acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Land, of
Elders past and present, on which this meeting takes place’
Presenter: Amanda Goldstein
• Senior practitioner with Family Life, in the male family violence
prevention and treatment program for women and children
• Accredited NTV Men’s behavioural change program facilitator
• Undertake group work and counselling, supervision and
program co-ordination
Presentation Topics
Four main areas
1. Community agencies: influence on family violence
policy and strategy
2. The Family Life family violence prevention practice model: whole of
family, child inclusive and integrated
3. Family Life services: a historical perspective
4. Community agencies: opportunities for the future
1. Community agencies: influence family
violence policy and strategy
•
Community agencies are positioned within the
communities they service to respond directly to the
needs of that community
•
The community needs drive upwards through the
service system via research and evaluation data to
influence public policy, strategy and funding decisions
at a local and national government levels
Cont…
1. Community agencies: important influence
on family violence policy and strategy
2010-2012 Small courts project- client needs influenced services
• Family Life was one of the community agencies instrumental in the
Family Violence outreach applicant support and respondent program
funding in 2012 at: Moorabbin and Frankston Justice Centres
• The funding grew from community agency court support from 2008
• This service engages men (often difficult to engage in services) and
women in legal, counselling, group work and women’s refuge
services
Cont…
1. Community agencies: influence
on family violence policy and strategy
•
The community agency Family Life was
established in 1970 and now has 125 staff,
420 volunteers and in 2011-12 assisted 6,500
families
•
Family Life has 4 service centres, 4
opportunity shops, a warehouse, 4 community
houses, and a budget revenue of 10M
•
Family Violence services from 1986 are
presented on the Family Life website in the
innovations timeline at www.familylife.com.au
Keith Street, Hampton East
Community House
2. Family Life current practice model:
whole of family, child inclusive
and integrated
Family Life Integrated Service Model
A place based approach to our vision and mission
Cont…
2. Family Life current practice model:
whole of family, child inclusive
and integrated
Violence against women and children: statistics influence practice
• 1 out of 3 women will experience domestic violence (World Health Organisation
and The Australian Institute of Criminology, Through a child’s eyes, 2012)
• Police data in 2007/2008 indicates that 85% of family violence victims are female
• The Victorian Police Strategy to reduce violence against women and Children
Strategy 2009-2014 reports there were 33,918 Family Violence incidents, 12,047
included one or more children being present
Cont…
2. Family Life current practice model:
whole of family, child inclusive
and integrated
Cont…
2. Family Life whole of family, child inclusive and
integrated practice model
Whole of Family approach
•
Over the last 25 years, Family life has developed the whole of family,
child inclusive and integrated practice model to engage all parts of the
family including men, women, children and youth…
A whole of family approach is effective for promoting systemic
change in families and places the individual within the
context of family, community and the wider society
•
Published in: ‘Through the eyes of the children- Families and Violence’,
Hewitt and Cavanagh, 1998
Cont…
2. Family Life current practice model:
whole of family, child inclusive
and integrated
•
The whole of family approach understands the gendered power
imbalance that exists where male violence is used
•
Placed within the feminist perspective, gender is understood to be
socially constructed and male privilege results in violence being used as
a tactic of entitlement and power to dominate women and children
Cont…
2. Family Life current practice model:
whole of family, child inclusive
and integrated
•
•
•
•
Male violence: power and entitlement
dominates and maintains the family violence
system
Witness
Rescuer
Rescuer
Each person in the system is influenced and
influences others
Women and children to become ‘victims’ and
’witnesses’. They are fearful and their mental
and physical health is significantly
compromised
Women and children become ‘rescuers ‘when
protecting and comforting each other and
when the male perpetrator is remorseful
during the cycle of violence
Victim
Male
Perpetrator
Victim
Rescuer
Witness
Whole of
Family Model
Cont…
2. Family Life current practice model:
whole of family, child inclusive
and integrated
•
Child inclusive practice from assessment, service
delivery to closure is integrated with the best
interest case practice model for promoting the
safety, stability and developmental needs of
vulnerable children
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Family Life: Family violence services
Services are integrated to provide cross team and
agency, inter-team and care team approaches
•
Men’s behavioural change program (MATES) and
partner contact
•
Women’s and children’s groups and counselling
•
An integrated central intake system links the whole
family into services such as Child FIRST intake,
counselling and mediation services
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Family Life: Male family violence prevention services
• The Men’s Behavioural Change Program began in 1986 with the MATES (‘Moving Ahead to
Establish Changes’) group for men who use violence towards women and children
• The group exists today as a 16 week program promoting the safety of women and children
• No to Violence (NTV) accredited male and female co-facilitators model a respectful cofacilitation relationship
• A key aim of the group is for the participants to achieve positive sustained
changes in behaviour and attitudes via increasing responsibility and accountability
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
MATES: Practice Innovations
• A whole of family integrated model assists with challenging gendered entitlement
• New evidence based treatment approaches are informed, for example by research on the
brain and trauma, mindfulness relaxation and child development research
• Innovative approaches include: film, video, art therapy, family constellations role play, rolereversal, self rating on a masculine feminine gender continuum.
• Jackson Katz’s video ‘Tough Guise: Violence, Media and the crisis in
masculinity’ promotes violence as a masculine gendered issue
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Case example: Male Family Violence Integrated Case Management
• A MATES participant is homeless and has suicidal ideation
• Participant calls a MATES co-facilitator stating he may breach the intervention
order and self harm due to feelings of shame and guilt
• A suicide first aid procedure is undertaken: Based on the ASSIST model
• Housing options and psychiatric triage support is offered with aligned
community agencies
• Case conferencing with partners group and counseling worker and team leader
• A follow up call and face to face meeting occurs
• The participant reports he no longer has the desire to self harm or breach IO
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Partner contact: an integrated approach
• An inter-team practitioner within the family violence team or FARS
(Family and relationships) team ensures no conflict of interest and
holds the man accountable for his use of violence
• The voices of women and children are held by the MATES cofacilitators to inform group process, planning and provide safety and
referral options for women and children
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Evaluation: refer to www.familylife.com.au for further information
• The MATES (mid and end) and Partner Contact program is evaluated
• Evaluation of the last group in 2012: at 8 weeks 89% and 16 weeks
100% of men self-reported positive behavioural change outcomes
• At 16 weeks, 80% of partners reported the men’s violent or abusive
behaviours had significantly reduced
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Family Violence Assessment
• Family members are assessed separately with an inter-team approach utilizing
Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF) and Best Interests
• Assessment is followed by inter-team consultation between practitioners to
promote safety for women and children
• If safe to so, children are assessed and referred for services
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Groups and counselling for women and children
•
Originally Family Life women’s and children’s
services were funded through Philanthropic
Trusts and local service clubs
•
Today women’s and children’s services are
embedded in family violence public policy and
strategy, and funded by the state government.
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Children’s groups
•
The STAR group for children was established in
1995 for children between the ages of 7 to 12
•
Children were able to explore their goals and
strengths and understand the violence was not their
fault
•
The group was evaluated in 1997-1998 and it was
found there was no difference between the impact of
children witnessing violence and experiencing it
directly (55% of participants)
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Community Agencies influence legislation
•
1997 Family Life Family Violence prevention
program research outcomes was shared with the
Family Court including the impact of children
witnessing violence
•
The Family Violence protection act (2008) includes
children witnessing family violence, needing
comforting and cleaning up the site after an incident
as an experience of violence
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Family Life: Historically-Young men and women’s groups
•
In 1996, the RAVE group for 13-16 year old female girls affected by sexual abuse
was established with a focus on goal setting:71% of the girls were able to develop
clear and specific goals
•
In 1998 the B-RAVE group for 13-16 year old boys affected by violence was
established. The group presented an alternative view of masculinity with overnight
camps and activities offered to participants
•
Fathers undertook a parenting program to consider their parenting and its effect on
their boys
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Current children and young people’s groups
•
Children and young people’s groups for ages
5-18 are delivered using a cross-agency
approach
•
Co-facilitation with the specialist group worker
from the Hanover Homeless Children’s
Specialist support service (HCSSS)
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Current children and young people’s groups
•
Groups for 5-8 year olds include establishing
guidelines via the tree of friendship, goal
setting, emotional body mapping, safety and
memory boxes
•
An exercise to demonstrate anger was:
•
The children made volcanoes and exploded
them with vinegar and bi-carb soda. This was
followed by a discussion about how anger
builds up and explodes affecting ‘you and
others’
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Family Life: Women’s groups
•
The Making Choices and creating connections groups (8 weeks each) for women
who have experienced violence began in 1998 and is currently a 10 week group
•
Women are encouraged to share their experiences of violence and form social
connections
•
Topics include: The types of violence and cycle of violence, effects of violence,
safety, self-esteem, self-care, assertive communication and hooks for staying
•
Cross team co-facilitation with the Family and Relationships Service (FARS) team
and art therapy is used to promote healing
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Family Life: Women and children’s counselling
•
A range of age appropriate techniques and modalities is utilised
including: strength based, solution focussed and CBT
•
Safety and wellbeing are prioritised rather than a focus on change
•
Integrated care team approach with family violence counseling and
outreach, family support, Hanover Homeless Children’s Specialist
support Service (HCSSS) and Child Protection workers
Cont…
3. Family Life services: A historical perspective
Case example: Women’s counseling integrated risk management
•
The client reports she and her partner had an incident in the car in front of her
1 year old son 1 week ago and was verbally and physically abused
•
The counselor utilized the Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF) and
Best Interests Framework to assess risk and undertake safety planning
•
Psycho-education into the types of violence and cycle of violence and effect
of children witnessing violence was undertaken
•
Consultation with Child FIRST, community based child protection and the
MATES co-facilitators was undertaken
Cont…
4. Community Agencies: Opportunities for the Future
Community Agencies: Opportunities for the future
•
Via research and evaluation of services, community agencies such as Family Life
can influence policy and strategy
•
In addition, Family Life has delivered primary prevention services through
community education at schools and TAFES
•
These strategies are essential to preventing family violence at the universal service
system by identifying vulnerable families prior to tertiary interventions
•
Currently program funding does not meet the needs of the whole community
•
Increased whole of family integrated funding rather than siloed funding to prevent
male family violence is important for the needs of the community into the future
Thank you.